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Passages: A Pemberley Tale
Years after her ruin at the hands of George Wickham, Georgiana Darcy is a virtual prisoner at Pemberley as a result of her brother’s good intentions. Drastic changes have taken their toll, leaving brother and sister adrift from polite society.
Faithful to his vow to prevent further harm to his sister, Fitzwilliam Darcy has retreated from the few friends and acquaintances who still acknowledge him. Lonelier than ever, Darcy’s life is swallowed up by darkness until the day a young woman is discovered close to death on the estate grounds.
Unaware of her identity, Elizabeth Bennet finds herself the recipient of Fitzwilliam Darcy’s benevolence whilst she recovers from her own encounter with Wickham. Elizabeth’s presence breathes life back into Pemberley and its occupants, until Wickham returns with a nefarious plan to regain control of both Elizabeth and Georgiana.
Will Elizabeth fulfill her destiny and rescue Darcy from a desolate life or will the mystery of her parentage take her in another direction, leaving him alone once more?
Faithful to his vow to prevent further harm to his sister, Fitzwilliam Darcy has retreated from the few friends and acquaintances who still acknowledge him. Lonelier than ever, Darcy’s life is swallowed up by darkness until the day a young woman is discovered close to death on the estate grounds.
Unaware of her identity, Elizabeth Bennet finds herself the recipient of Fitzwilliam Darcy’s benevolence whilst she recovers from her own encounter with Wickham. Elizabeth’s presence breathes life back into Pemberley and its occupants, until Wickham returns with a nefarious plan to regain control of both Elizabeth and Georgiana.
Will Elizabeth fulfill her destiny and rescue Darcy from a desolate life or will the mystery of her parentage take her in another direction, leaving him alone once more?
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 28, 2016
95 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Brenda J. Webb
11 books104 followersWelcome to my author page; let me tell you a little about myself.
First, I have never followed soap operas, I hardly have time to watch television at all. Thus, if any of my characters match names of soap opera characters, I assure you it is a coincidence. I come up with the names all by myself. Now that that is addressed, I shall move on. "big smile"
I worked for years in the accounting world until I traded my career for life on a small farm. A voracious reader and romance movie aficionada, one day I happened to notice that one of my favorite Jane Austen books had been made into a movie. It was the 2005 production of Pride and Prejudice and I went to the theatre to see it instead of waiting, as usual, for the DVD or online video release. Nothing can compare to seeing this production on the big screen. It captured my imagination and made me want more of these beloved characters or others like them. I began buying all of Jane Austen's novels on Amazon.com and discovered the Jane Austen Fan Fiction genre.
I read everything I could find and then decided to write a story of my own, which was posted on a fan fiction site. A nice response from my readers convinced me to publish the story. I began a forum, DarcyandLizzy.Com, where I post my stories before they are published. It features many other writers as well.
First, I have never followed soap operas, I hardly have time to watch television at all. Thus, if any of my characters match names of soap opera characters, I assure you it is a coincidence. I come up with the names all by myself. Now that that is addressed, I shall move on. "big smile"
I worked for years in the accounting world until I traded my career for life on a small farm. A voracious reader and romance movie aficionada, one day I happened to notice that one of my favorite Jane Austen books had been made into a movie. It was the 2005 production of Pride and Prejudice and I went to the theatre to see it instead of waiting, as usual, for the DVD or online video release. Nothing can compare to seeing this production on the big screen. It captured my imagination and made me want more of these beloved characters or others like them. I began buying all of Jane Austen's novels on Amazon.com and discovered the Jane Austen Fan Fiction genre.
I read everything I could find and then decided to write a story of my own, which was posted on a fan fiction site. A nice response from my readers convinced me to publish the story. I began a forum, DarcyandLizzy.Com, where I post my stories before they are published. It features many other writers as well.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
November 4, 2017
Oh, the perfect romance!!! The proverbial knight in shining armor saving the damsel in distress.
I sit here with tears in my eyes and it is not the first time while reading this novel...for a second reading. I read this on AHA and now read it again as a published book.
The crime, the matter of distress is the sex trade: gentle women kidnapped and shipped off to harems. Elizabeth is caught up...and Darcy finds an unconscious woman with cuts, bruises, broken bones and no memory. Struggling to survive but kept in isolation in a house she knows not, Elizabeth is comforted while semi-conscious by a baritone voice and when she awakens she finds her nights comforted by the distant sounds of someone playing the piano...a hauntingly sad and melancholy tune. She seeks to find the source and listens from the shadows.
Fitzwilliam has become a recluse: his sister has suffered similar to this unknown woman so it is almost like déjà vu and he is resolved to offer whatever is needed for her recovery. But he keeps her in isolation knowing that when she recovers and remembers who she is, he must let her go. Even if he has feelings, he will not ask any woman to join his chosen life hidden away from society at Pemberley.
Elizabeth has known scorn and snubs all her life beginning with the woman who has railed against her with insults about her birth all of her life. But now other factors slowly become known and there are choices. HE pushes her away and she, having known rejection, accepts it once again.
OH, readers, this one will break your heart as you read of the sorrow both have suffered and then hope for a better future for our dear couple. This is not one to be missed.
I sit here with tears in my eyes and it is not the first time while reading this novel...for a second reading. I read this on AHA and now read it again as a published book.
The crime, the matter of distress is the sex trade: gentle women kidnapped and shipped off to harems. Elizabeth is caught up...and Darcy finds an unconscious woman with cuts, bruises, broken bones and no memory. Struggling to survive but kept in isolation in a house she knows not, Elizabeth is comforted while semi-conscious by a baritone voice and when she awakens she finds her nights comforted by the distant sounds of someone playing the piano...a hauntingly sad and melancholy tune. She seeks to find the source and listens from the shadows.
Fitzwilliam has become a recluse: his sister has suffered similar to this unknown woman so it is almost like déjà vu and he is resolved to offer whatever is needed for her recovery. But he keeps her in isolation knowing that when she recovers and remembers who she is, he must let her go. Even if he has feelings, he will not ask any woman to join his chosen life hidden away from society at Pemberley.
Elizabeth has known scorn and snubs all her life beginning with the woman who has railed against her with insults about her birth all of her life. But now other factors slowly become known and there are choices. HE pushes her away and she, having known rejection, accepts it once again.
OH, readers, this one will break your heart as you read of the sorrow both have suffered and then hope for a better future for our dear couple. This is not one to be missed.
May 24, 2024
Minor vices lead to major ones, but minor virtues stay put. ~Mignon McLaughlin
Villainy abounds in this story.
Wickham is despicable, violent, contemptible, disgraceful, loathsome, reprehensible, vile, sordid, slimy, worthless, disreputable, abject, wretched and beastly. Those are his good points. His partner in crime is worse.
This is another of the stories that convert all unpleasant people in Canon into murderers, rapists, etc.
I usually dislike those stories but this one is so well done I’m going with 5-stars.
Elizabeth is found badly injured at Pemberley. During her recovery, she turns life around for the Darcy siblings who have had major misfortunes of their own.
Action dominates this story – from Elizabeth’s injuries to Georgiana’s explanations to kidnapping and murders. Always something happening – this is not a S-L-O-W story in any sense. In fact, it’s two books in one. About halfway thru the book, the climax with the Wickham part of the story concludes and I wondered what would fill the last half but another villain (really two more villains) appears and packs action into the second half of the book as well.
All the usual minor villains also appear – Mama Bennet (Untold suffering seldom is. ~Franklin P. Jones); Lady Catherine; Caroline Bingley and her cohorts are all at their worst.
I appreciate that the author leaves no loose ends here. Everyone’s story wraps up neatly and there’s an Epilogue – I do so like epilogues! The bad guys are punished and the good guys are rewarded. Very satisfying!
The moment a man claims a right to control the will of a fellow being by physical force, he is at heart a slaveholder. ~Henry C. Wright, The Liberator, 7 April 1837
Villainy abounds in this story.
Wickham is despicable, violent, contemptible, disgraceful, loathsome, reprehensible, vile, sordid, slimy, worthless, disreputable, abject, wretched and beastly. Those are his good points. His partner in crime is worse.
This is another of the stories that convert all unpleasant people in Canon into murderers, rapists, etc.
I usually dislike those stories but this one is so well done I’m going with 5-stars.
Elizabeth is found badly injured at Pemberley. During her recovery, she turns life around for the Darcy siblings who have had major misfortunes of their own.
Action dominates this story – from Elizabeth’s injuries to Georgiana’s explanations to kidnapping and murders. Always something happening – this is not a S-L-O-W story in any sense. In fact, it’s two books in one. About halfway thru the book, the climax with the Wickham part of the story concludes and I wondered what would fill the last half but another villain (really two more villains) appears and packs action into the second half of the book as well.
All the usual minor villains also appear – Mama Bennet (Untold suffering seldom is. ~Franklin P. Jones); Lady Catherine; Caroline Bingley and her cohorts are all at their worst.
I appreciate that the author leaves no loose ends here. Everyone’s story wraps up neatly and there’s an Epilogue – I do so like epilogues! The bad guys are punished and the good guys are rewarded. Very satisfying!
The moment a man claims a right to control the will of a fellow being by physical force, he is at heart a slaveholder. ~Henry C. Wright, The Liberator, 7 April 1837
February 5, 2017
“You must learn some of my philosophy.” Jane Austen 4.5-stars
“Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.” Pride and Prejudice
This Pride and Prejudice was very different. Our story was not a canon story; however, it was a story of enduring love, loss, redemption and forgiveness.
A tragic accident had left Darcy’s life a shadow of what it was. There are secrets at Pemberley that will surprise and shock. This was not a happy Pemberley, as it was shrouded in sadness, grief, regret, guilt and despair over events that happen on a faithful summer several years prior.
Darcy, riding alone at night, came upon the body of a female in a ditch. She was alive, but was badly beaten, battered and had several broken bones.
Note: Kudos to the author for explaining how Darcy got back on his horse carrying the body of an unconscious female. Most JAFF do a poor job of just how the hero accomplishes this feat.
Darcy took the woman back to Pemberley and sent for the physician and constable. And so, began her slow agonizing recovery to restored health and memory.
The tone reminded me so much of Beauty and the Beast. The house in shadows, with a reduced number of servants, a wing of the house no one was allowed to enter, and a brooding tortured male character that sits and plays somber tunes on the pianoforte. As he played, I expected a Phantom like man with a disfigured face, but that was not the case. Instead, he was a man with a battered and disfigured soul.
Villains we have galore: two French ex-military escapees from a French prison, and one that we know all too well. To even say his name leaves a foul taste in one’s mouth. In this story, there was no redemptive qualities within him. He would sell his own child for a farthing. Wait… no, I will not spoil it.
Wickham, a name synonymous with evil in the annals of P&P, was the epitome of all that looked good on the outside, but was rotten to the core. And, along with him, Mrs. Younge… and her brother. All, were involved with crimes so egregious that it was a hanging offense if they were caught. The danger was real as women all over England, Wales, and Scotland were disappearing, never to return. Elizabeth and several others were taken right out of Pemberley. The drama to restore them was fast and furious. It was fraught with danger and grief as the death toll rose.
Although we do not have Caroline Bingley in the first part of this episode [she appears later], her haughty persona was mirrored by Georgiana’s companion, Miss March, who likewise had her eyes set on the Master of Pemberley. She was of the same ilk and stamp as Caroline Bingley. Will they never learn?
Slowly, patches of memory began to return to Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn, Meryton, in Hertfordshire. Only her restored memory did not sooth her. Her life had not been a comfortable one with a Mrs. Bennet that hated her with a grievous passion that Elizabeth had endured her entire life. The reveal on the source of this hate was a big surprise and I have never seen it used before. The family dynamics in the Bennet family was very different in this variation.
And then the story shifted. BAM! We then had a whole other country… em… story line. The danger from one source had been neutralized and Elizabeth [memory fully restored] now had to face another danger. From here on out, the love story was of a different tone completely. Due to Elizabeth’s circumstances, she had decisions to make and opportunities to consider. Her future was up for grabs and Darcy returned to Pemberley to brood. The story at this point began to drag and I grew tired of Darcy hitting the bottle every time something didn’t go his way. The despondency, the fear of losing her was bordering obsessive and it was making me a bit uncomfortable. If they were out of each other’s sight, they became despondent. I didn’t care for that part.
Then there were the tender loving moments between our dear couple. Oh, those were nice. I love how our author painted scenes with the use of low light, reflecting off the face of a loved one as they turned aside. Their reflection in the window, and other descriptive scenes were memorable and would photograph well.
The ending seemed a bit long and drawn out. It took a long time to wrap up. I suppose the author wanted to have a suitable ending for each of the major characters and what happened to them. It felt like reading half-a-dozen epilogues that covered the next few years and then there was an actual epilogue of many years in the future. I will admit they were interesting.
As some reviews stated, there are scenes where you will need tissues. And then there are scenes, like the Netherfield Ball, where you will want to stand up and cheer. Oh Caroline, what have you done? She surrounded Elizabeth, with her little posse, that she had invited from London, and attempted to intimidate her. Wrong move Caroline, and especially within the hearing of Mr. Darcy. I loved this part…OMG!! I loved this part. And then it was Mrs. Bennet’s turn…. Oh, how I loved this part. NEVER mess with a Darcy.
Rating: there were mature themes discussed, scenes of a sexual nature between a married couple, sensual scenes, somewhat descriptive but not explicit or graphic sex.
**** SPOILER **** **** End Spoiler ****
“Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.” Pride and Prejudice
This Pride and Prejudice was very different. Our story was not a canon story; however, it was a story of enduring love, loss, redemption and forgiveness.
A tragic accident had left Darcy’s life a shadow of what it was. There are secrets at Pemberley that will surprise and shock. This was not a happy Pemberley, as it was shrouded in sadness, grief, regret, guilt and despair over events that happen on a faithful summer several years prior.
Darcy, riding alone at night, came upon the body of a female in a ditch. She was alive, but was badly beaten, battered and had several broken bones.
Note: Kudos to the author for explaining how Darcy got back on his horse carrying the body of an unconscious female. Most JAFF do a poor job of just how the hero accomplishes this feat.
Darcy took the woman back to Pemberley and sent for the physician and constable. And so, began her slow agonizing recovery to restored health and memory.
The tone reminded me so much of Beauty and the Beast. The house in shadows, with a reduced number of servants, a wing of the house no one was allowed to enter, and a brooding tortured male character that sits and plays somber tunes on the pianoforte. As he played, I expected a Phantom like man with a disfigured face, but that was not the case. Instead, he was a man with a battered and disfigured soul.
Villains we have galore: two French ex-military escapees from a French prison, and one that we know all too well. To even say his name leaves a foul taste in one’s mouth. In this story, there was no redemptive qualities within him. He would sell his own child for a farthing. Wait… no, I will not spoil it.
Wickham, a name synonymous with evil in the annals of P&P, was the epitome of all that looked good on the outside, but was rotten to the core. And, along with him, Mrs. Younge… and her brother. All, were involved with crimes so egregious that it was a hanging offense if they were caught. The danger was real as women all over England, Wales, and Scotland were disappearing, never to return. Elizabeth and several others were taken right out of Pemberley. The drama to restore them was fast and furious. It was fraught with danger and grief as the death toll rose.
Although we do not have Caroline Bingley in the first part of this episode [she appears later], her haughty persona was mirrored by Georgiana’s companion, Miss March, who likewise had her eyes set on the Master of Pemberley. She was of the same ilk and stamp as Caroline Bingley. Will they never learn?
Slowly, patches of memory began to return to Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn, Meryton, in Hertfordshire. Only her restored memory did not sooth her. Her life had not been a comfortable one with a Mrs. Bennet that hated her with a grievous passion that Elizabeth had endured her entire life. The reveal on the source of this hate was a big surprise and I have never seen it used before. The family dynamics in the Bennet family was very different in this variation.
And then the story shifted. BAM! We then had a whole other country… em… story line. The danger from one source had been neutralized and Elizabeth [memory fully restored] now had to face another danger. From here on out, the love story was of a different tone completely. Due to Elizabeth’s circumstances, she had decisions to make and opportunities to consider. Her future was up for grabs and Darcy returned to Pemberley to brood. The story at this point began to drag and I grew tired of Darcy hitting the bottle every time something didn’t go his way. The despondency, the fear of losing her was bordering obsessive and it was making me a bit uncomfortable. If they were out of each other’s sight, they became despondent. I didn’t care for that part.
Then there were the tender loving moments between our dear couple. Oh, those were nice. I love how our author painted scenes with the use of low light, reflecting off the face of a loved one as they turned aside. Their reflection in the window, and other descriptive scenes were memorable and would photograph well.
The ending seemed a bit long and drawn out. It took a long time to wrap up. I suppose the author wanted to have a suitable ending for each of the major characters and what happened to them. It felt like reading half-a-dozen epilogues that covered the next few years and then there was an actual epilogue of many years in the future. I will admit they were interesting.
As some reviews stated, there are scenes where you will need tissues. And then there are scenes, like the Netherfield Ball, where you will want to stand up and cheer. Oh Caroline, what have you done? She surrounded Elizabeth, with her little posse, that she had invited from London, and attempted to intimidate her. Wrong move Caroline, and especially within the hearing of Mr. Darcy. I loved this part…OMG!! I loved this part. And then it was Mrs. Bennet’s turn…. Oh, how I loved this part. NEVER mess with a Darcy.
Rating: there were mature themes discussed, scenes of a sexual nature between a married couple, sensual scenes, somewhat descriptive but not explicit or graphic sex.
**** SPOILER **** **** End Spoiler ****
February 5, 2017
This book, with a little editing, would be wonderful had ended it at about the 57% mark. This part of the story, as outlined in the book description, is excellent. There’s plenty of angst, a seriously injured and then amnesiatic Elizabeth, a brooding and reclusive Mr. Darcy, romantic interactions between the two, plotting evil-doers, and a thrilling rescue attempt leading to a standoff between the hero and a crazy-mad villain. Once the dust clears, all that’s required for the story to be complete here would be for the hero and heroine to declare their love to each other and (assuming some tangents were edited out) you’d have a perfectly constructed tale.
Instead, the book continues as Elizabeth explores her paternal roots at Braebrook Manor. Many characters disappear (mostly the early villains, as they should since they’ve been dealt with) and now a new cast of supporting players emerges. We have Barton Worthington, Mr. and Mrs. Dugan, and Regis Worthington (the earl), with much discussion about Barret Worthington. A completely different web of intrigue and secrets emerges, and Elizabeth’s virtue and life is once again in peril. Once this situation resolves and she and Darcy are both at Pemberley, they finally are united and all is well. This, again, would qualify as a separate book on its own (conflict, climax, resolution) with very little alteration between roughly the 57% mark and the 87% mark on my kindle.
The rest is a lengthy, protracted HEA. For those who love hearing Darcy and Elizabeth saying over and over how much they love each other and multiple demonstrations of how they can’t keep their hands off of each other when they’re in the same room together, you’ll enjoy the rest of the book. I found much of the dialogue here to be unnatural, overly melodramatic and, frankly, too sappy for my taste. The only incident of real interest is Caroline Bingley’s meagre efforts to influence high society against Elizabeth, which is yet another storyline that pops up without much overlap into the other parts of the book.
As if these aren’t enough, there are additional storylines thrown into the mix as well. The contentious relationship between Mrs. Bennet and Lizzy is referenced throughout and probably would work best in conjunction with the second plot. Georgiana’s situation is another and probably works best as part of the first one. There’s a tangent in the first plot where Darcy suffers from a fever that serves no purpose at all except perhaps to give Elizabeth the opportunity to watch over him as he had done for her. There are others as well, but the point is that it's overcrowded with different plotlines.
I am a staunch admirer of Ms. Webb’s work ever since reading her excellent Fitzwilliam Darcy: An Honourable Man, which was much better at interweaving all the various plot elements. Some of the dialogue there was pretty over-the-top melodramatic too, but the surrounding story supported it better. Ms. Webb is a gifted writer who knows how to engage the emotions of her readers, and I love her creative situations in which our beloved Pride and Prejudice characters meet and interact. While she demonstrates many of the same abilities here, it's as if her imagination has run amok. This book lacks cohesiveness. There are several storylines at work here which only overlap with the thinnest of threads. Tangents further add to a sense of disjointedness.
The bottom line is that this is entertaining and yet very disappointing. I know Ms. Webb can do much, much better.
Instead, the book continues as Elizabeth explores her paternal roots at Braebrook Manor. Many characters disappear (mostly the early villains, as they should since they’ve been dealt with) and now a new cast of supporting players emerges. We have Barton Worthington, Mr. and Mrs. Dugan, and Regis Worthington (the earl), with much discussion about Barret Worthington. A completely different web of intrigue and secrets emerges, and Elizabeth’s virtue and life is once again in peril. Once this situation resolves and she and Darcy are both at Pemberley, they finally are united and all is well. This, again, would qualify as a separate book on its own (conflict, climax, resolution) with very little alteration between roughly the 57% mark and the 87% mark on my kindle.
The rest is a lengthy, protracted HEA. For those who love hearing Darcy and Elizabeth saying over and over how much they love each other and multiple demonstrations of how they can’t keep their hands off of each other when they’re in the same room together, you’ll enjoy the rest of the book. I found much of the dialogue here to be unnatural, overly melodramatic and, frankly, too sappy for my taste. The only incident of real interest is Caroline Bingley’s meagre efforts to influence high society against Elizabeth, which is yet another storyline that pops up without much overlap into the other parts of the book.
As if these aren’t enough, there are additional storylines thrown into the mix as well. The contentious relationship between Mrs. Bennet and Lizzy is referenced throughout and probably would work best in conjunction with the second plot. Georgiana’s situation is another and probably works best as part of the first one. There’s a tangent in the first plot where Darcy suffers from a fever that serves no purpose at all except perhaps to give Elizabeth the opportunity to watch over him as he had done for her. There are others as well, but the point is that it's overcrowded with different plotlines.
I am a staunch admirer of Ms. Webb’s work ever since reading her excellent Fitzwilliam Darcy: An Honourable Man, which was much better at interweaving all the various plot elements. Some of the dialogue there was pretty over-the-top melodramatic too, but the surrounding story supported it better. Ms. Webb is a gifted writer who knows how to engage the emotions of her readers, and I love her creative situations in which our beloved Pride and Prejudice characters meet and interact. While she demonstrates many of the same abilities here, it's as if her imagination has run amok. This book lacks cohesiveness. There are several storylines at work here which only overlap with the thinnest of threads. Tangents further add to a sense of disjointedness.
The bottom line is that this is entertaining and yet very disappointing. I know Ms. Webb can do much, much better.
April 9, 2025
2025: Audiobook - Stevie Zimmerman does a fantastic job bringing this story to life and drama.
Woaw, a story chock full of drama! So driven by drama it moved along quickly. One exciting scene after another until the happy end.
Act 1-Elizabeth is saved by Darcy, but loses her memory
Act 2-The nefarious Wickham comes back for the 2 women Darcy loves.
Act 3-Elizabeth learns about her past and finds the courage to face down Darcy.
Reread: and I admit to enjoying it even more the second time around. Everything about the story and the writing. Perhaps the mushy stuff at the end got a bit ott, but at least they were madly in love!
Woaw, a story chock full of drama! So driven by drama it moved along quickly. One exciting scene after another until the happy end.
Act 1-Elizabeth is saved by Darcy, but loses her memory
Act 2-The nefarious Wickham comes back for the 2 women Darcy loves.
Act 3-Elizabeth learns about her past and finds the courage to face down Darcy.
Reread: and I admit to enjoying it even more the second time around. Everything about the story and the writing. Perhaps the mushy stuff at the end got a bit ott, but at least they were madly in love!
December 24, 2017
A Dynamic and Compelling Romantic Adventure
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
TYPE OF AUSTENESQUE NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation
TIME FRAME: September 1815 – Different timeline from Pride and Prejudice
SYNOPSIS: It’s been several years since Ramsgate, and the events that took place there have irrevocably changed the lives of Fitzwilliam and Georgiana Darcy. No longer a part of society, both have retreated to Pemberley where they live a very solitary life with minimal staff and no visitors. But when an unconscious stranger near-death is found near his home, Mr. Darcy finds himself providing her shelter and care. And though he tries to maintain his distance and avoid contact, this beautiful stranger finds a way to reach him in his loneliness and desolation… Can she convince him to let her stay? And what happens when her memory fully returns and she realizes the secrets of her past?
WHAT I LOVED:
- Exhilarating Original Premise: My goodness does Brenda Webb dream up some wonderfully unique Pride and Prejudice variations! A sinister scheme of kidnapping and enslaving gentlewomen, a degraded Darcy family retired from society, and new parentage for Elizabeth Bennet? Each idea is such an interesting divergence on its own, never mind that all this is happening in the same book!?! I thoroughly enjoyed exploring each of these new twists and I loved how Brenda Webb executed her story with all these dynamic and creative possibilities!
- Swept Away: This was a perfect choice for October – with a lonely estate, a brooding hero, dangerous villains, and the nighttime encounters between Darcy and Elizabeth (those were my favorite, btw) there are some wonderful dark and gothic elements to this tale. And with so much drama and action happening this story had me entranced from the very first page! I love these stories by Brenda Webb – they are high action and high drama, and that makes for a highly enrapturing read!
- Alternate History, Yet In Essentials…: I found so much to admire about Elizabeth in this story – she had a terrible relationship with Mrs. Bennet and faced adversity, was kidnapped and harmed yet she was still the brave, generous-hearted, and quick-witted heroine Jane Austen created. In addition, Mr. Darcy, with his selflessness, repressed longing, and noble actions is the epitome of a brooding romantic hero. His suffering and sacrifice is heartrending in this tale! And the fact that he spends hours playing melancholy compositions on piano…gah!!! My heart!
- Two-Parter: With so much going on this story had sort of a mini-resolution halfway through. Other obstacles still forcing our couple apart and those are explored in detail in the second half of the book. Some may have issue with the two different parts of the story, but I actually found myself just as captivated during the second half as the first.
- Quick Cut-Scenes and Clear Divisions: I enjoy so many different aspects of Brenda Webb’s writing style, but one I haven’t mentioned before is how she often changes perspectives. I know it can be confusing when an author changes point-of-view, but Ms. Webb makes it very easy to follow with her page breaks and setting indicators. I love how these quick-paced scene changes heighten the excitement of the story and shed light on other characters and what they are thinking and feeling.
WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:
- Small Quibbles: Just a minor quibble or two about some language and expressions that felt modern. SPOILER ALERT!: In addition, while I completely understand Darcy’s reclusive and solitary behavior for majority of the book, there was a point later on in the book where it didn’t seem like he was ostracized by the ton anymore. In fact, he was being chased as an eligible suitor. It sort of made his continuing to push Elizabeth away feel a little unnecessary.
NOTE: There are some allusions to intimate scenes and one or two that begin to take place on page (just in the last 50 pages). I’d recommend this story for Mature Audiences.
CONCLUSION:
I adore the dynamic and compelling stories that flow from Brenda Webb’s pen. She loves to place Darcy and Elizabeth in such impossible and surprising circumstances, and readers who hunger for adventurous and impassioned romances will be thoroughly pleased with her latest offering! I highly recommend!
Austenesque Reviews
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
TYPE OF AUSTENESQUE NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation
TIME FRAME: September 1815 – Different timeline from Pride and Prejudice
SYNOPSIS: It’s been several years since Ramsgate, and the events that took place there have irrevocably changed the lives of Fitzwilliam and Georgiana Darcy. No longer a part of society, both have retreated to Pemberley where they live a very solitary life with minimal staff and no visitors. But when an unconscious stranger near-death is found near his home, Mr. Darcy finds himself providing her shelter and care. And though he tries to maintain his distance and avoid contact, this beautiful stranger finds a way to reach him in his loneliness and desolation… Can she convince him to let her stay? And what happens when her memory fully returns and she realizes the secrets of her past?
WHAT I LOVED:
- Exhilarating Original Premise: My goodness does Brenda Webb dream up some wonderfully unique Pride and Prejudice variations! A sinister scheme of kidnapping and enslaving gentlewomen, a degraded Darcy family retired from society, and new parentage for Elizabeth Bennet? Each idea is such an interesting divergence on its own, never mind that all this is happening in the same book!?! I thoroughly enjoyed exploring each of these new twists and I loved how Brenda Webb executed her story with all these dynamic and creative possibilities!
- Swept Away: This was a perfect choice for October – with a lonely estate, a brooding hero, dangerous villains, and the nighttime encounters between Darcy and Elizabeth (those were my favorite, btw) there are some wonderful dark and gothic elements to this tale. And with so much drama and action happening this story had me entranced from the very first page! I love these stories by Brenda Webb – they are high action and high drama, and that makes for a highly enrapturing read!
- Alternate History, Yet In Essentials…: I found so much to admire about Elizabeth in this story – she had a terrible relationship with Mrs. Bennet and faced adversity, was kidnapped and harmed yet she was still the brave, generous-hearted, and quick-witted heroine Jane Austen created. In addition, Mr. Darcy, with his selflessness, repressed longing, and noble actions is the epitome of a brooding romantic hero. His suffering and sacrifice is heartrending in this tale! And the fact that he spends hours playing melancholy compositions on piano…gah!!! My heart!
- Two-Parter: With so much going on this story had sort of a mini-resolution halfway through. Other obstacles still forcing our couple apart and those are explored in detail in the second half of the book. Some may have issue with the two different parts of the story, but I actually found myself just as captivated during the second half as the first.
- Quick Cut-Scenes and Clear Divisions: I enjoy so many different aspects of Brenda Webb’s writing style, but one I haven’t mentioned before is how she often changes perspectives. I know it can be confusing when an author changes point-of-view, but Ms. Webb makes it very easy to follow with her page breaks and setting indicators. I love how these quick-paced scene changes heighten the excitement of the story and shed light on other characters and what they are thinking and feeling.
WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:
- Small Quibbles: Just a minor quibble or two about some language and expressions that felt modern. SPOILER ALERT!: In addition, while I completely understand Darcy’s reclusive and solitary behavior for majority of the book, there was a point later on in the book where it didn’t seem like he was ostracized by the ton anymore. In fact, he was being chased as an eligible suitor. It sort of made his continuing to push Elizabeth away feel a little unnecessary.
NOTE: There are some allusions to intimate scenes and one or two that begin to take place on page (just in the last 50 pages). I’d recommend this story for Mature Audiences.
CONCLUSION:
I adore the dynamic and compelling stories that flow from Brenda Webb’s pen. She loves to place Darcy and Elizabeth in such impossible and surprising circumstances, and readers who hunger for adventurous and impassioned romances will be thoroughly pleased with her latest offering! I highly recommend!
Austenesque Reviews
April 6, 2025
Very Good Variation
Definitely non-canon, but that’s what I love about JAFF—free reign on the imagination! I really enjoyed the love story in this tale, which took some interesting twists, especially Elizabeth’s heritage. Typical villains plus a new one added a bit of drama and angst, but I’m getting used to that with Brenda Webb’s variations. I haven’t read one I didn’t like.
June 21, 2022 - One of those books I loved even more the second time around. Would love to see Brenda’s books become audiobooks too.
April 5, 2025 - Audiobook
Another fabulous narration by Stevie Zimmerman, and so happy to have another of Brenda Webb’s books come to audio.
Definitely non-canon, but that’s what I love about JAFF—free reign on the imagination! I really enjoyed the love story in this tale, which took some interesting twists, especially Elizabeth’s heritage. Typical villains plus a new one added a bit of drama and angst, but I’m getting used to that with Brenda Webb’s variations. I haven’t read one I didn’t like.
June 21, 2022 - One of those books I loved even more the second time around. Would love to see Brenda’s books become audiobooks too.
April 5, 2025 - Audiobook
Another fabulous narration by Stevie Zimmerman, and so happy to have another of Brenda Webb’s books come to audio.
December 31, 2016
The first 50% or so of this story is dark, dire, dramatic, angsty, agony filled, tense, dreadful and disastrous. This P&P what if is like a P&P 'when bad things happen to good people'. The rest is integral to the plot so I will put it behind a spoiler tag The second half intersperses good news / bad news and you will be on the edge of your seat wondering if there is a HEA for ODC.
January 7, 2017
A Powerful and Desperate Journey
A reissue of an earlier online effort, "Passages" offers up a combination of gothic saws which still cut with satisfying vigor--kidnapping, injury, amnesia, misbegotten lineage, white slavery, murder and more. Oh yes, requited or is it unrequited love bedeviling ODC bridges part one and two. In less deft hands, the story would have collapsed under its own weight. There are, unfortunately, a few spots where redemption was deserved and not granted. In Ms Webb's world, characters are dispatched with vigor and violence matching their misdeeds. I regretted that ____________ham's demise was not told but rather only alluded to. And, while it was suggested Mr. B. took Lydia and Kitty in hand after ODC marries, it is averred that they were too far gone to have a successful outcome. This struck me as avoiding the ultimate overthrow of the thoroughly loathsome Mrs. B...Having both younger girls reject her misguided teachings. And, finally, since this is one of my pet peeves...There are 5 Bennet girls...Not 4.
A reissue of an earlier online effort, "Passages" offers up a combination of gothic saws which still cut with satisfying vigor--kidnapping, injury, amnesia, misbegotten lineage, white slavery, murder and more. Oh yes, requited or is it unrequited love bedeviling ODC bridges part one and two. In less deft hands, the story would have collapsed under its own weight. There are, unfortunately, a few spots where redemption was deserved and not granted. In Ms Webb's world, characters are dispatched with vigor and violence matching their misdeeds. I regretted that ____________ham's demise was not told but rather only alluded to. And, while it was suggested Mr. B. took Lydia and Kitty in hand after ODC marries, it is averred that they were too far gone to have a successful outcome. This struck me as avoiding the ultimate overthrow of the thoroughly loathsome Mrs. B...Having both younger girls reject her misguided teachings. And, finally, since this is one of my pet peeves...There are 5 Bennet girls...Not 4.
March 22, 2017
A must read story as well as all of this authors books. This story begins with Darcy living a life as a recluse. Only Darcy and Georgianna and limited staff live at Pemberley. One night Darcy comes across Elizabeth laying in a field cut, bruised, a broken wrist and with no memory of who she is or where she came from. Elizabeth has escaped being kidnapped and being sold into sex trafficking. As we know that Wickham is as evil as always. Darcy allows Elizabeth to heal at Pemberley to keep her safe and to allow her memory to return. While at Pemberley Elizabeth inserts herself into Darcys' life and becomes friends with Georgiana. Darcy is an excellent pianist in this story. Elizabeth once again gets kidnapped and Darcy, Georgiana, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Mr. Bennet come to her rescue. Elizabeth finds out who she really is and goes with Mr. Bennet to learn about her heritage. She learns that she loves Darcy and will do anything to have a life with him. A beautiful story.
February 6, 2017
Hands down, the best Darcy and Elizabeth wedding I've ever read! This book was very enjoyable even though I tend to dislike too much angst. Why only 4 stars? There was a little too much angst for my tastes. The last 25% of the book had such a different vibe that I felt I was reading a different book. At times this portion became a bit too gushy in the romance department. I don't like a cruel Mrs. Bennett and her reasoning for treating Elizabeth poorly and not loving Mr. Bennett wasn't necessary! An unnecessary sub plot. I like a variation/sequel where at least Kitty improves herself. It was sad that Elizabeth has no relationship with any of her sisters except Jane and most importantly, Mary was excluded. Sorry but in some ways, I should give this only 3 stars for leaving out Mary! Having 4 sisters not 5 was just plain wrong!
January 13, 2017
Darcy finds Elizabeth, whom he has never met before, in the Pemberly forest close to death. He brings her home to recover and in doing so brings the first visitor to the home in years. Unfortunate circumstances have Darcy and Georgiana as almost recluse in the country after a tragic situation. A strange paternity backstory for Elizabeth and the evils of Wickham bring the couple together for an almost obnoxious happily ever after. After all the turmoil they survive they deserve it, but I actually started skimming it there was so much.
February 24, 2017
Action and angst packed! I loved it. I won't say anything other than that. I don't want to ruin it.
January 3, 2017
The beginning of this story was very sad. Darcy became a recluse after a tragedy and a scandal that damaged his reputation in society. Elizabeth had been through a terrible trauma when they crossed path. And together with her appearance at Pemberley, a ray of hope shone in the lives of Mr and Miss Darcy.
I loved how Mrs Webb addressed the problem of social consequences of decisions, which from a human point of view were right, but from a hypocritical point of view of so called "polite society' were unacceptable. For the ton it was the proper way to banish an expecting, unmarried woman, and force her to abandon her baby. But to take care of her and the child, face the shame and refuse to live a lie was scandalous. The ton cared only for appearances, and the truth as long as it stayed hidden, it didn't matter.
Wickham and other villains were pure evil. Luckily they were punished, and all the couples got their HEA. But the road there was bumpy, and reading about all twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat.
5 starts for me.
I loved how Mrs Webb addressed the problem of social consequences of decisions, which from a human point of view were right, but from a hypocritical point of view of so called "polite society' were unacceptable. For the ton it was the proper way to banish an expecting, unmarried woman, and force her to abandon her baby. But to take care of her and the child, face the shame and refuse to live a lie was scandalous. The ton cared only for appearances, and the truth as long as it stayed hidden, it didn't matter.
Wickham and other villains were pure evil. Luckily they were punished, and all the couples got their HEA. But the road there was bumpy, and reading about all twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat.
5 starts for me.
February 7, 2019
I have always enjoyed reading the novels by Ms. Webb for their over the top drama and out of canon scenarios. They engage the reader with their villainous villains and deep emotional connections between Darcy and Elizabeth. However, for me, this one missed the mark. It felt like a series of events with some dialogue that did not completely lure me in.
There was the main plot with the evil LeStang and wicked Wickham kidnapping virginal young women. Then there was the subplot surrounding Elizabeth Bennet's heritage. I actually enjoyed that more than the main one. I didn't get the emotional connection I usually do with her books. However, this will not stop me from reading another novel by Ms. Webb.
January 1, 2017
Well written, but ...
I enjoyed this story, but it rambled on at the end. Price was a bit high. Elizabeth does have a penchant for getting herself in trouble.
I enjoyed this story, but it rambled on at the end. Price was a bit high. Elizabeth does have a penchant for getting herself in trouble.
January 3, 2017
Outstanding, Emotional Book That is Unique, Exciting, Good for Movie
This is one of the outstanding variations that I have read. I love books by this author that can delve into the deepest emotions of her characters and bring them to life.
Georgiana was ruined by Wickham in several ways and in reclusion with Darcy at Penberly, which he rarely left. Wickham tried to kidnap Elizabeth when she was traveling North with plans to be a paid companion. Wickham is involved in white female sex trade after he fails to get Georgiana's dowry and he is involved with several wicked co-conspirators.
In this book Elizabeth believes herself illegitimate while she is raised by Mr. Bennet who is her mother's brother. His wife is a jealous and mean shrew. There's only Jane, Kitty, and Lydia here. Jane loves Lizzy and so do Mr. Bennet and the Gardiners, but she is abused by Mrs. Bennet and an outcast in Meryton, which is full of memories she wishes to believe behind except for Jane and Mr. Bennet, so she sought to make her own way in the world as a companion. The Gardiners helped her in a quest for a companion's position which was in northern England, and it was near Lambton that she was taken after changing from a private to public coach.
Elizabeth nearly dies when escaping from Wickham and his white slavery ring. This is a really horrible Wickham. Darcy was a recluse because of his sister's situation, when he rescued Lizzy and took her to Pemberly.
Slowly he was drawn to her, as were the others at Pemberly as she made Pemberly less a prison and more joyful. She was kind and good despite Mrs. Bennet; also very intelligent. Jane was stronger here than usually portrayed and very supportive of Lizzy.
This is a complex book with several parts. Just when Lizzy was recovering, Wickam and his men set fire to Darcy's coach house in London to force him there, so he and his men could more easily occupants get into Pemberly to take occupants to satisfy their white slavery quota for a ship they were filling. Georgiana was still crippled and not wanted. Lizzy and Darcy's very young niece were taken as was Georgiana's rather Caroline-like companion whom Wickham charmed. Lizzy was never charmed by him.
Darcy, Col. Fitzwilliam, and others have to be super heroes here. Still there's the problem of Darcy loving Lizzy and her learning of an inheritance in Scotland through her real father and grandfather in Scotland. It would be so when her dying grandfather is gone provided she she marries a foppish and rather nasty Scottish noble who has the title but not the wealth. She is also supposed to take. A different. Identify. The conditions were undesirable to her.. Mr. Bennet goes with her. She loves Darcy, wants to learn about her Scottish grandfather and parents. There a mystery is unraveled. There's 3 happy couples in the end. Mrs. Bennet remains a shrew and her two younger daughters remain silly as she is. Caroline Bingley gets her just desserts where social climbing is concerned. There's Wickham and his men and their shipload of gentlewomen who were destined for harems, too. This was quite a complex multi-plot novel. What a movie this. would make.
This is a long, complex, and deeply emotionally involved book. I could not put it down. There's a lot of mystery and surprises. Characters come to life for me. It is also well edited. Lizzy and Darcy are slightly older when they meet, and he has some gray hairs, which is the case in some other books of Brenda Webb. Darcy has not met Lizzy here until he finds her on a cold wet night near death from trying to escape her abduction from a coach. I highly recommend a spell-binding read.
This is one of the outstanding variations that I have read. I love books by this author that can delve into the deepest emotions of her characters and bring them to life.
Georgiana was ruined by Wickham in several ways and in reclusion with Darcy at Penberly, which he rarely left. Wickham tried to kidnap Elizabeth when she was traveling North with plans to be a paid companion. Wickham is involved in white female sex trade after he fails to get Georgiana's dowry and he is involved with several wicked co-conspirators.
In this book Elizabeth believes herself illegitimate while she is raised by Mr. Bennet who is her mother's brother. His wife is a jealous and mean shrew. There's only Jane, Kitty, and Lydia here. Jane loves Lizzy and so do Mr. Bennet and the Gardiners, but she is abused by Mrs. Bennet and an outcast in Meryton, which is full of memories she wishes to believe behind except for Jane and Mr. Bennet, so she sought to make her own way in the world as a companion. The Gardiners helped her in a quest for a companion's position which was in northern England, and it was near Lambton that she was taken after changing from a private to public coach.
Elizabeth nearly dies when escaping from Wickham and his white slavery ring. This is a really horrible Wickham. Darcy was a recluse because of his sister's situation, when he rescued Lizzy and took her to Pemberly.
Slowly he was drawn to her, as were the others at Pemberly as she made Pemberly less a prison and more joyful. She was kind and good despite Mrs. Bennet; also very intelligent. Jane was stronger here than usually portrayed and very supportive of Lizzy.
This is a complex book with several parts. Just when Lizzy was recovering, Wickam and his men set fire to Darcy's coach house in London to force him there, so he and his men could more easily occupants get into Pemberly to take occupants to satisfy their white slavery quota for a ship they were filling. Georgiana was still crippled and not wanted. Lizzy and Darcy's very young niece were taken as was Georgiana's rather Caroline-like companion whom Wickham charmed. Lizzy was never charmed by him.
Darcy, Col. Fitzwilliam, and others have to be super heroes here. Still there's the problem of Darcy loving Lizzy and her learning of an inheritance in Scotland through her real father and grandfather in Scotland. It would be so when her dying grandfather is gone provided she she marries a foppish and rather nasty Scottish noble who has the title but not the wealth. She is also supposed to take. A different. Identify. The conditions were undesirable to her.. Mr. Bennet goes with her. She loves Darcy, wants to learn about her Scottish grandfather and parents. There a mystery is unraveled. There's 3 happy couples in the end. Mrs. Bennet remains a shrew and her two younger daughters remain silly as she is. Caroline Bingley gets her just desserts where social climbing is concerned. There's Wickham and his men and their shipload of gentlewomen who were destined for harems, too. This was quite a complex multi-plot novel. What a movie this. would make.
This is a long, complex, and deeply emotionally involved book. I could not put it down. There's a lot of mystery and surprises. Characters come to life for me. It is also well edited. Lizzy and Darcy are slightly older when they meet, and he has some gray hairs, which is the case in some other books of Brenda Webb. Darcy has not met Lizzy here until he finds her on a cold wet night near death from trying to escape her abduction from a coach. I highly recommend a spell-binding read.
Read
March 12, 2023Read too long ago for me to rate, though I think it's probably a 5 Amazon.
February 5, 2017
A Pemberley tale
This is truly an alternative tale. There is no Meryton assembly for Darcy to insult Elizabeth and she doesn't end up hearing tales from Wickham. In this story it's several years later and we learn that Darcy is in seclusion with Georgiana. Who fell victim to Wickham and Darcy was unable to rescue her before she is hurt and left for dead by the blackguard. Lizzy has her own different story. She is not the daughter of Mr and Mrs Bennet but the illegitimate daughter of Mr Bennet's sister. So consequently Mrs Bennet treats her as an outcast and so Elizabeth decides to go into service. This is where the story begins. It seems she is missing but she has been captured on her way to her service. She escapes and is grievously injured while trying to escape and is found on Pemberley land by Mr Darcy. The despair that you feel learning of Darcy's degradation and how as Elizabeth recuperates fills Pemberley, Georgiana and Darcy with hope. The story has lots of misunderstanding and hurt feelings. Lots of obstacles to get thru and really bad villains and just not to disappoint Wickham is one of the villains. Excellent story though I know the author alerts you that this is not canon but near the end of the story I did cringe with the way the HEA was brought about. So because of that I really would rate this story to just below 4.
This is truly an alternative tale. There is no Meryton assembly for Darcy to insult Elizabeth and she doesn't end up hearing tales from Wickham. In this story it's several years later and we learn that Darcy is in seclusion with Georgiana. Who fell victim to Wickham and Darcy was unable to rescue her before she is hurt and left for dead by the blackguard. Lizzy has her own different story. She is not the daughter of Mr and Mrs Bennet but the illegitimate daughter of Mr Bennet's sister. So consequently Mrs Bennet treats her as an outcast and so Elizabeth decides to go into service. This is where the story begins. It seems she is missing but she has been captured on her way to her service. She escapes and is grievously injured while trying to escape and is found on Pemberley land by Mr Darcy. The despair that you feel learning of Darcy's degradation and how as Elizabeth recuperates fills Pemberley, Georgiana and Darcy with hope. The story has lots of misunderstanding and hurt feelings. Lots of obstacles to get thru and really bad villains and just not to disappoint Wickham is one of the villains. Excellent story though I know the author alerts you that this is not canon but near the end of the story I did cringe with the way the HEA was brought about. So because of that I really would rate this story to just below 4.
December 30, 2016
I'm so excited about this new book by Brenda Webb. I read it years ago when it was first posted by her on on DarcyandLizzy.com, and plan to do it again now that it has been rewritten and polished off for the public. From the very beginning, this book grabs your attention and it is one that you will not be able to put down until you reach the end. We start off with a brooding Darcy who is essentially a recluse living at Pemberley with his sister, Georgiana. Their backstory and the mystery which brings Elizabeth Bennet into their lives will have you on the edge of your seat as you wait for the plot to unfold. While this story is not canon-based, it does use many of the principle characters found in Jane Austen's original Pride and Prejudice. Thanks again, Brenda, for another fantastic story! Jen Red
August 29, 2017
2.5
Though I enjoyed this story for the most part, it did not feel very much like a P&P story. I couldn't imagine Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in this. My imagination conjured up Generic Historical Romance Hero instead. It didn't feel genuine to me. Had the characters been named something else, I would have still liked it, perhaps more so because then it would not have fallen as short of expectations.
The story was also a little long and in need of some editing. The last 30% or so were a slog to get through because it felt like the story was finished already and the rest was just so much filler.
Mary Bennet doesn't exist in this story. This made me rather sad because I have a soft spot for poor Mary.
Had the book been shorter and not a P&P variation, I would have enjoyed this more for what it was - a nice historical romance with a brooding hero and a damsel in distress.
Though I enjoyed this story for the most part, it did not feel very much like a P&P story. I couldn't imagine Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in this. My imagination conjured up Generic Historical Romance Hero instead. It didn't feel genuine to me. Had the characters been named something else, I would have still liked it, perhaps more so because then it would not have fallen as short of expectations.
The story was also a little long and in need of some editing. The last 30% or so were a slog to get through because it felt like the story was finished already and the rest was just so much filler.
Mary Bennet doesn't exist in this story. This made me rather sad because I have a soft spot for poor Mary.
Had the book been shorter and not a P&P variation, I would have enjoyed this more for what it was - a nice historical romance with a brooding hero and a damsel in distress.
January 26, 2018
Oh my! Full of angst, romance and passion. This is a page turner that you do not want to begin reading late at night, because it will be early morning before you finish...
Darcy is on one of his usual late night rides when he discovers a severely injured woman in a ditch. Taking her to Pemberley to nurse back to health, a web of betrayal, abduction and violence unfolds.
The love between ODC develop early but due to circumstances they don't declare them selves.
I loved that the last 20% of the book showed a happy couple, I loathe when we only get a glimpse of happiness. I love to see Darcy as a father...
Heartily recommend this novel.
Darcy is on one of his usual late night rides when he discovers a severely injured woman in a ditch. Taking her to Pemberley to nurse back to health, a web of betrayal, abduction and violence unfolds.
The love between ODC develop early but due to circumstances they don't declare them selves.
I loved that the last 20% of the book showed a happy couple, I loathe when we only get a glimpse of happiness. I love to see Darcy as a father...
Heartily recommend this novel.
December 28, 2018
An emotional roller coaster
A great story. Full of great sadness and great happiness. Leave it the author to create such a moving story. If I was to describe the events in the story to someone, most people would roll their eyes in the unbelievable, unlikely story. But as I read it I was drawn in to the extent that it all felt real.
I recommend this book highly.
A great story. Full of great sadness and great happiness. Leave it the author to create such a moving story. If I was to describe the events in the story to someone, most people would roll their eyes in the unbelievable, unlikely story. But as I read it I was drawn in to the extent that it all felt real.
I recommend this book highly.
January 4, 2017
A romantic plus heartbreaking plus suspenseful adventure by Brenda Webb. The story just flew as Darcy and Elizabeth overcome trust issues, horrid, scheming people, and work towards love conquering all. Amazing book!
February 5, 2017
Another winner from Brenda Webb. I love all of her books.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5
Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5
January 2, 2017
Let me begin by saying I was over the moon at finding this book. After a quick inspection of the first review I was on a mission to devour it. This sounded like all the things I long to find within a P&P variation. Also, one of my favorite variations is by this author called Fitzwilliam Darcy: An Honourable man. Oh I was only a few pages in and I was so in love with the story unfolding. Brenda Webb can really bring the drama and romance in a book. It was a rainy night followed by a tortured nocturnal soul trying to outrun his demons on horseback when he comes acrossed a woman barely recognizable laying in the mud. At this point I did wish the author had made them with a prior acquaintance and past unreturned love (IMO opinion it would have been super romantic) but I went with the direction of the book. I was still captivated by Darcy's gentlemanly manners in reassuring her she was safe. Securing her safely back at home he spends several nights caring for her and falling under her spell even though at this point she is still unconscious. The problem with this book was a pattern began to form. The book is very slow, which okay, I was willing to be patient and see the couple become familiar as Lizzy does not have a memory when she first awakes. That is not all you contend with though. A scene is painted I am there with my characters but then you read of Georgiana and there is a story within its self. Lizzy's misfortune is similar to Georgianas. But then you have her leg brace trouble, being in love but not sure that it will ever happen as she wants, worrying for her brother and the trouble she's caused, her daughter and her governess with designs for Darcy. That would not have been too bad but there is more. There is the crimes with the ladies themselves, The wicked men behind this human trafficking theme was a deep subject in itself but that was not all. Lady Catherine had her threats to take Georgianna and a threat to have Darcy committed after she talked with her brother. It is something a P&P reader comes to expect though. At some point in the story the old crone will make her appearance. The colonel is in love as well but afraid to move forward because he botched his first proposal. You root for him but at the same time I was waiting for Darcy and Lizzy to bring their situation more clear but then we learn more of that as Lizzy's memory starts coming back and the fragments that follow are not pleasant ones. In fact, she is quick to remember a red haired woman towering over her at 10 calling a bastard child who will never marry as no man will ever want her. The experience for me at this point was tedious. At 70-80% of the book you are tossed turned and rolled over with all these head spinning mini tales of the characters I just mentioned that just took away from Lizzy and Darcy. Darcy is trying to be dutiful to Lizzy and pushes her away and she goes to Scotland with her father and Darcy is faced with his deep sense of loss as it is announced in a paper that she is to be wed. I have to tell you I could feel my blood pressure escalate as one problem evaporated and turning the page I'd think finally but it was another scene of another situation and then when Darcy admits to his cousin his love I'm thinking, yes, Lizzy is on her way back but when confronted he still tries to push her away. Oh how I struggled. I was tense, snapping out at anyone who took me from away the story at the same time I'm mumbling under my breath to just stop it already. Whew! So I reach the turning point that moment of total surrender and I have to say Darcy needed to talk like more of a man. He come acrossed as weak. I know he was besotted but come on let desire and basic animal instinct follow. Not Oh my darling say you love me, want me. Like he was insecure. I'm sorry I love your work Brenda Webb but it all became a bit sappy. I liked that you had him marry Lizzy before the deed, I loved that he surprised her with visitors and his devotion to his son was a treat for me. I love Darcy the father and the brother and uncle but I also like the MAN himself.With all that I've thrown at you I just want to say the ideas she had were not bad ones just too many of them. I also neglected to mention Caroline she's there too but it is after they wed and it is short lived. If you like angst read this but for the purists this one follows a different story then the original. I liked the idea but too many irons in the fire made the journey nauseating. I will press on as I know this author has another Fitzwilliam Darcy: An honourable man in her, Patiently waiting.
January 16, 2017
Passages - A Pemberley Tale
Filled with angst, but it is a beautiful and perfect love story. The sadness at Pemberley is suffocating to its inhabitants. Due to Wickham's treachery, Georgiana is severely injured in a carriage accident as well as with child. Contrary to his family's desires, Darcy keeps her at Pemberley rather than send her away to Scotland. Together with few of their loyal staff since he is forsaken by friends and family, with the exception of Colonel Fitzwilliam, is confined to Pemberley as a recluse.
Wickham's involvement with the sex slave industry is a new low for him. Capturing young, virgin gentle women has him hidden in Derbyshire while he collects enough to send to London for shipment to the middle east for purchase into servitude. Hidden in a dilapidated cottage on Pemberley's property, one young woman is beaten and bones broken, but manages to escape her captors. Running barefoot in the pouring rain, she stumbles near the side of a back trail through Pemberley's woods. Her moan is heard by Darcy during his evening ride. Returning home, he insists that Mrs Reynolds care for her. Because of her numerous wounds, the doctor is not certain when or if she'll regain consciousness and if she does she may not remember anything about herself. Visiting each night, Mrs Reynolds hides in the shadows crying as Darcy pours out his sad and lonely life. Eventually as she begins to wake, he no longer visits and she becomes despaired. Locked in her room at night, as she heals she soon seeks to leave her room. Realizing her two maids leave through a hidden door in her dressing room, she bravely transverse the narrow passages coming to the music room where her handsome rescuer plays mournful songs on the pianoforte. She does this each night, but finally speaks out to him wondering why he won't talk to her. As they each share their misery: he shunned by society, and she not knowing who she is but knowing that she's illegitimate, night time talks draw them closer together.
While out for a walk, she saves a small child, Bella, from running horses with Darcy's help. When the child calls him Papa, she becomes melancholy and decides that she will meet Mrs. Darcy by searching the forbidden east wing. What she finds is Miss Georgiana Darcy and her illegitimate child, Bella. The two become fast friends and begin to call each other by their first names. By this time she remembers that her first name is Elizabeth. She encourages Georgiana to walk with her braces so that she can run after her very energetic daughter.
Enter wicked Wickham again in Lambton. Wooing Georgiana's companion, Miss March, he discovers that the girl he lost earlier from the cabin has been recovering at Pemberley, but today she is at the fair with Bella. He and his flunkies capture her and Bella, tire her up, and shove them in one of Darcy's carriages. Taking another carriage to Pemberley, the companion is subdued and Georgiana rejected because she is crippled. Wickham laughs when she pleads for her daughter's life. His mind working to gain more money, he plans to ransom Bella even though he's her father. The group is taken to London and placed in Mrs. Younge's boarding house. There is another young lady, Julie, present when they arrive. As Wickham tries to collect the ransom money from Darcy, he is captured by the Bow Street Runners, but when questioned pleads not guilty until Colonel Fitzwilliam is left alone with him. Darcy recognizes Elizabeth in the rapidly moving carriage leaving the boarding house and gives chase. When the carriage flips and slides along the road, he fears the worst. Dismounting his horse, Elizabeth appears, but so does the ring leader, Maurice. A tussle starts and Maurice is shot between the eyes and Darcy is shot in the shoulder.
There is a whole other story concerning Elizabeth that begins during her recuperating time at Pemberley and ends in Scotland. Fascinating story that gives proof that Elizabeth is not illegitimate. This becomes the icing on the cake.
She returns to Pemberley and Darcy. After apologies from the Fitzwilliams, Darcy decides that he wants nothing but Elizabeth, and they marry in the middle of the night waking the vicar and his wife.
Two other hateful beings in this story are Mrs Bennet and Caroline Bingley. Both nasty shrews find that they have severed ties with the Darcys and the Bingleys, and no help will be coming from the Darcys when Mr. Bennet passes.
Filled with angst, but it is a beautiful and perfect love story. The sadness at Pemberley is suffocating to its inhabitants. Due to Wickham's treachery, Georgiana is severely injured in a carriage accident as well as with child. Contrary to his family's desires, Darcy keeps her at Pemberley rather than send her away to Scotland. Together with few of their loyal staff since he is forsaken by friends and family, with the exception of Colonel Fitzwilliam, is confined to Pemberley as a recluse.
Wickham's involvement with the sex slave industry is a new low for him. Capturing young, virgin gentle women has him hidden in Derbyshire while he collects enough to send to London for shipment to the middle east for purchase into servitude. Hidden in a dilapidated cottage on Pemberley's property, one young woman is beaten and bones broken, but manages to escape her captors. Running barefoot in the pouring rain, she stumbles near the side of a back trail through Pemberley's woods. Her moan is heard by Darcy during his evening ride. Returning home, he insists that Mrs Reynolds care for her. Because of her numerous wounds, the doctor is not certain when or if she'll regain consciousness and if she does she may not remember anything about herself. Visiting each night, Mrs Reynolds hides in the shadows crying as Darcy pours out his sad and lonely life. Eventually as she begins to wake, he no longer visits and she becomes despaired. Locked in her room at night, as she heals she soon seeks to leave her room. Realizing her two maids leave through a hidden door in her dressing room, she bravely transverse the narrow passages coming to the music room where her handsome rescuer plays mournful songs on the pianoforte. She does this each night, but finally speaks out to him wondering why he won't talk to her. As they each share their misery: he shunned by society, and she not knowing who she is but knowing that she's illegitimate, night time talks draw them closer together.
While out for a walk, she saves a small child, Bella, from running horses with Darcy's help. When the child calls him Papa, she becomes melancholy and decides that she will meet Mrs. Darcy by searching the forbidden east wing. What she finds is Miss Georgiana Darcy and her illegitimate child, Bella. The two become fast friends and begin to call each other by their first names. By this time she remembers that her first name is Elizabeth. She encourages Georgiana to walk with her braces so that she can run after her very energetic daughter.
Enter wicked Wickham again in Lambton. Wooing Georgiana's companion, Miss March, he discovers that the girl he lost earlier from the cabin has been recovering at Pemberley, but today she is at the fair with Bella. He and his flunkies capture her and Bella, tire her up, and shove them in one of Darcy's carriages. Taking another carriage to Pemberley, the companion is subdued and Georgiana rejected because she is crippled. Wickham laughs when she pleads for her daughter's life. His mind working to gain more money, he plans to ransom Bella even though he's her father. The group is taken to London and placed in Mrs. Younge's boarding house. There is another young lady, Julie, present when they arrive. As Wickham tries to collect the ransom money from Darcy, he is captured by the Bow Street Runners, but when questioned pleads not guilty until Colonel Fitzwilliam is left alone with him. Darcy recognizes Elizabeth in the rapidly moving carriage leaving the boarding house and gives chase. When the carriage flips and slides along the road, he fears the worst. Dismounting his horse, Elizabeth appears, but so does the ring leader, Maurice. A tussle starts and Maurice is shot between the eyes and Darcy is shot in the shoulder.
There is a whole other story concerning Elizabeth that begins during her recuperating time at Pemberley and ends in Scotland. Fascinating story that gives proof that Elizabeth is not illegitimate. This becomes the icing on the cake.
She returns to Pemberley and Darcy. After apologies from the Fitzwilliams, Darcy decides that he wants nothing but Elizabeth, and they marry in the middle of the night waking the vicar and his wife.
Two other hateful beings in this story are Mrs Bennet and Caroline Bingley. Both nasty shrews find that they have severed ties with the Darcys and the Bingleys, and no help will be coming from the Darcys when Mr. Bennet passes.
February 24, 2017
So this book... I devour Pride and Prejudice variations and adaptations--they are my comfort food and when I see a new one come up on Kindle Unlimited, I am always happy. I have mostly liked the P&P books by this author--but this one was somewhere between just OK and like for me. (Rounded up to 3 stars because of sentimentality.) It went on too long and had too many tangents and side stories and convenient coincidences that convoluted the plot and made things drag.
I think it had reasonably strong start with Darcy (a virtual recluse at Pemberley with Georgiana after a carriage accident during her elopement with Wickham and a secret child leave them hiding from society) comes across an injured Elizabeth. They never met at Netherfield and Elizabeth has amnesia but despite Darcy's attempts to push her away, he finds himself falling for her. To her, he is the calming voice and handsome face that nursed her through her recovery and their attempts toward each other are sweetly romantic and full of misunderstandings and angst.
That all works but then the various subplots take over--Wickham and his cohorts in the sex-trafficking ring (well-bred ladies shipped to the Middle East) that landed Elizabeth in her peril, Georgiana's previous undoing at Wickham's hands, Elizabeth's backstory of being Mr. Bennet's illegitimate niece instead of daughter & Mrs. Bennet's hate for her and Lizzy finding out about her father's history, more crazy villains, etc., etc., etc... it just all gets a bit too much. I think curbing some of these plots and shaving off 80 pages or so and it would have been a tighter, more enjoyable book. So while not terrible, definitely not a favorite.
.
I think it had reasonably strong start with Darcy (a virtual recluse at Pemberley with Georgiana after a carriage accident during her elopement with Wickham and a secret child leave them hiding from society) comes across an injured Elizabeth. They never met at Netherfield and Elizabeth has amnesia but despite Darcy's attempts to push her away, he finds himself falling for her. To her, he is the calming voice and handsome face that nursed her through her recovery and their attempts toward each other are sweetly romantic and full of misunderstandings and angst.
That all works but then the various subplots take over--Wickham and his cohorts in the sex-trafficking ring (well-bred ladies shipped to the Middle East) that landed Elizabeth in her peril, Georgiana's previous undoing at Wickham's hands, Elizabeth's backstory of being Mr. Bennet's illegitimate niece instead of daughter & Mrs. Bennet's hate for her and Lizzy finding out about her father's history, more crazy villains, etc., etc., etc... it just all gets a bit too much. I think curbing some of these plots and shaving off 80 pages or so and it would have been a tighter, more enjoyable book. So while not terrible, definitely not a favorite.
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April 20, 2025
I loved it!
It was so enticing that I couldn’t put it down, this book grabbed my interest from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down, I had to know what happened next. The story is well written with a very good storyline. You will see the most beloved characters in a whole new way. This is a Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice variation. Not a simple retelling, it is an intriguing new story that does not follow canon.
Years after her ruin at the hands of George Wickham, Georgiana Darcy is a virtual prisoner at Pemberley as a result of her brother's good intentions. Drastic changes have taken their toll, leaving brother and sister adrift from polite society. Faithful to his vow to prevent further harm to his sister, Fitzwilliam Darcy has retreated from the few friends and acquaintances who still acknowledge him. Lonelier than ever, Darcy's life is swallowed up by darkness until the day a young woman is discovered close to death on the estate grounds.
Unaware of her identity, Elizabeth Bennet finds herself the recipient of Fitzwilliam Darcy's benevolence whilst she recovers from her own encounter with Wickham. Elizabeth's presence breathes life back into Pemberley and its occupants, until Wickham returns with a nefarious plan to regain control of both Elizabeth and Georgiana. Will Elizabeth fulfil her destiny and rescue Darcy from a desolate life or will the mystery of her parentage take her in another direction, leaving him alone once more? So with all that and more this story pulls you in and holds you tight. It’s a must read. I highly recommend to everyone.
It was so enticing that I couldn’t put it down, this book grabbed my interest from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down, I had to know what happened next. The story is well written with a very good storyline. You will see the most beloved characters in a whole new way. This is a Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice variation. Not a simple retelling, it is an intriguing new story that does not follow canon.
Years after her ruin at the hands of George Wickham, Georgiana Darcy is a virtual prisoner at Pemberley as a result of her brother's good intentions. Drastic changes have taken their toll, leaving brother and sister adrift from polite society. Faithful to his vow to prevent further harm to his sister, Fitzwilliam Darcy has retreated from the few friends and acquaintances who still acknowledge him. Lonelier than ever, Darcy's life is swallowed up by darkness until the day a young woman is discovered close to death on the estate grounds.
Unaware of her identity, Elizabeth Bennet finds herself the recipient of Fitzwilliam Darcy's benevolence whilst she recovers from her own encounter with Wickham. Elizabeth's presence breathes life back into Pemberley and its occupants, until Wickham returns with a nefarious plan to regain control of both Elizabeth and Georgiana. Will Elizabeth fulfil her destiny and rescue Darcy from a desolate life or will the mystery of her parentage take her in another direction, leaving him alone once more? So with all that and more this story pulls you in and holds you tight. It’s a must read. I highly recommend to everyone.
April 13, 2025
Mystery, abductions, memory loss, and isolation
In this non-canon variation, Darcy lives a very isolated life. On a late night ride, he finds a battered and bruised lady (Elizabeth). Due to these injuries, she does not know who she is, but as she heals her memory returns. During her healing, Elizabeth gets stir crazy and goes exploring via the passages in Pemberley. She discovers mysteries and desires to solve them. I love Belle and how she brings people together. There are mysteries in Elizabeth‘s life that with the help of others get solved as well, but standby for more abductions, villains and more. I love how Elizabeth brings life back to Pemberley and those around her.
I enjoyed the story but love how Stevie Zimmerman‘s narration lifts the story higher and let you get lost in it
In this non-canon variation, Darcy lives a very isolated life. On a late night ride, he finds a battered and bruised lady (Elizabeth). Due to these injuries, she does not know who she is, but as she heals her memory returns. During her healing, Elizabeth gets stir crazy and goes exploring via the passages in Pemberley. She discovers mysteries and desires to solve them. I love Belle and how she brings people together. There are mysteries in Elizabeth‘s life that with the help of others get solved as well, but standby for more abductions, villains and more. I love how Elizabeth brings life back to Pemberley and those around her.
I enjoyed the story but love how Stevie Zimmerman‘s narration lifts the story higher and let you get lost in it
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